


Passing By

by Ankhesanamun



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 08:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3404459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ankhesanamun/pseuds/Ankhesanamun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding out you're pregnant is one thing, but living under the microscope of the Air Force as well as in an alternate timeline, that's another. Snapshots of the year that didn't happen from Stargate Continuum, focusing on Sam Carter's experiences. Jack/Sam mentioned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Passing By

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first foray into the Stargate SG-1 Universe. It's set during Stargate Continuum and basically describes snapshots of the year in the alternate timeline if Sam had been pregnant. I've tried to keep all of then in character as much as possible as well sticking to the basic storyline of the film, however I have also considered the impact of living in an alternate timeline as well as the impact of being pregnant.
> 
> Also whilst I do appreciate constructive and helpful criticism, as I tell my students, we give feedback to help not to hinder, so no flames please.
> 
> This has been posted on Fanfiction.Net but wanted to share it here also.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own these characters, they just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote this story down, so really it's the writers' fault that I wrote this.

* * *

 

In truth, it was hardly surprising, Sam thought to herself as she stared at the inoffensive white stick, a calm expression on her face. It wasn't like they had been careful and considering everything that had been working against them in regards to the pregnancy area, they had accepted that the reality of getting pregnant was as unlikely as Vala walking away from treasure.

So that night, that one night that they had managed to have together, between her return from Atlantis and the disaster that had been the extraction ceremony, they had simply enjoyed being together rather than worrying about any consequences.

Now staring at proof that there had been consequences, Sam was truly unsure as to how she was feeling. The idea that she was pregnant had sent a bolt of joy through her when she had gone to buy the test but now, knowing that she was alone and that Jack would never know, would not be with her to enjoy each moment of the pregnancy, would not be there to see their child being born, all Sam could do was stare at the stick and grieve.

* * *

_Four Months Later…_

It had started out as a way to stick it to the man, a way to prove to the air force and the military itself that they couldn't dictate what she did with her life.

Now though, as she viewed the fruits of her labour, Sam couldn't help thinking that somewhere Jack O'Neill was laughing as Samantha Carter, former good girl of the air force, set in to motion a series of tricks and problems designed to ensure that Sam and her friends disappeared whilst still seeming appearing to remain in plain sight at all times.

Clicking the final key and absentmindedly rubbing her swollen belly, Sam leaned back in her chair, before standing and moving to the nearby window, imagining that she could almost see her programs leaping from her computer and travelling through the ether.

As she stared at the streams of light flickering through the leaves of the trees lining her garden, Sam allowed her mind to drift, thinking back to when she had first started constructing her plans.

* * *

Sam stared at the small phone in her hands, seriously considering simply throwing the damn thing into a nearby ditch. Only two things stopped her, first that it wasn't the phone's fault that the person on the other end had pissed her off and second it still remained her only link to Daniel and Cam.

Suddenly a wave of sadness rushed through her and Sam sank into the nearest chair, laying her head in her hands, the image, that she had been grasping tightly in her hand, fluttering down to the ground.

She'd been so excited that she had automatically dialled her friend's number so that she could share her news before she had even realised what she was doing. However instead of hearing Daniel's voice, Sam had instead been coldly informed that such contact had not been authorised and that further attempts would lead to disciplinary actions. The line had then been disconnected.

Petulantly, Sam considered ringing the number again, if only to see what the air force would try and do to her, but concerned that she might not be the only one to suffer, she instead placed the phone on the table.

'It isn't fair,' Sam thought childishly, 'It's not like we would be discussing plans to reset the timeline over an unsecured phone line or at all really, but…'

Sam's inner monologue trailed off as she registered the idle thought that she had had, and she repeated it aloud.

"Unsecured phone line. Unsecured phone line. But what if I could make a secured line? Or better yet make it so that they can't monitor any contact between us."

Feeling the rush that filled her whenever she was faced with a problem that she could solve, Sam stood and rushed over to her desk where she began drafting ideas and lists for what she would need in order to pull off one of the greatest pranks ever.

Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson and Cameron Mitchell were about to disappear without anyone even realising they were gone.

* * *

That had been a month ago. Getting a hold of a suitable laptop and programming it to ensure that all her actions became completely invisible had been child's play, and from there she had quickly begun ordering parts and creating the necessary programs to allow all communication between the trio to occur beneath the notice of the military.

At times during the month, Sam had wondered whether if she asked officially she might be able to contact her friends but both the fear of being told no and the knowledge that she was going to sneak past all their systems with barely any effort on her part, kept her from even trying.

Now as she waited for her programs to both find and then hide their systems, Sam smiled broadly, secure in the knowledge that she would soon be speaking with her friends once again. Her eyes flicked upwards and she saw the image which had been carelessly dropped that first day, now framed and joined by another, and still smiling, Sam felt almost giddy at the thought of sharing them with her friends.

"Hello?" Daniel asked curiously as he brought the now silent phone to his ear.

"Daniel? Is that you?" A happy and welcome voice exclaimed cheerfully down the phone.

"Sam? Oh my god. I can't believe its you. I've missed you so much." Daniel replied.

"I've missed you too, Daniel."

"So how long are the air force letting us talk to each other? I mean surely if we're talking for too long we must be plotting something." Daniel added bitterly.

"Well considering the air force doesn't know about this call, they can neither cut it short nor suspect evil plans are afoot." Sam responded cheerily.

"The air force doesn't know? How? I mean you must know it's not just the outgoing calls they're monitoring but the incoming." Even saying it aloud sounded silly to Daniel as he considered who was speaking to, something which was confirmed almost immediately.

"Of course I know that Daniel, but you know me and boredom…" She trailed off and Daniel had to resist the urge to shiver slightly, as vivid memories filled him times when Sam had been especially bored. The SGC had thought that Jack had been bad, but he'd had nothing on Sam when she was bored.

He remembered in particular the last time that she had been injured and laid up in the Infirmary, after the Ori soldier had shot her.

After a few days of refusing to take it easy, Dr Lam had finally confiscated Sam's laptop, foolishly believing that that would have been enough to make her relax. It hadn't. Instead Dr Lam had returned to work the next day to find half her monitors fitted with 'upgrades' and the lights in her office connected to the sirens, meaning that whenever she flicked them on, the sirens also came on. Needless to say, Dr Lam had quickly returned Sam's laptop and following a brief phone call with General O'Neill also provided her with access to the latest reports on the Ori, once he had stopped laughing that is.

"Well anyway, I needed something to do so I figured giving us our privacy back was definitely something worth doing and if it got one past those control freaks, well that's hardly a problem is it?" Sam asked hypothetically.

"What do you mean, give us our privacy back?" Daniel asked.

"From now on our phone calls, e-mails and internet activity are completely hidden from the air force." Sam explained simply, her smile evident in her voice.

"You made us invisible to them?"

"No, that would be too obvious and easily picked up. No, I created a program whereby any communication between the three of us would show up as either a random number or e-mail that would be considered spam. Our internet activity is also masked so that it looks like we remain on basic sites or ones connected to our 'allowed' interests. Basically we have disappeared from view while the whole time we look like we are just as under the thumb as before." Sam explained happily.

"Sam that's amazing." Daniel praised, as always in awe of the intellect and abilities of his friend. "Aren't they going to get suspicious of our long phone calls with random numbers though?"

"Ah now that was the tricky part, but eventually I managed to create a virus whereby whenever the length of our calls goes over ten minutes, it will be instantly wiped and replaced with a phone call that appears to last only two minutes." Daniel couldn't help himself, as he began laughing at the sheer brilliance and cunning of his friend.

"So we're free?"

"We're free." Sam confirmed laughing along with him.

* * *

Knowing that they could now talk freely, the pair quickly settled down into an easy conversation, sharing stories and laughing together once more. After a while though, Daniel paused and asked his friend how she was managing without her husband.

"It's hard, Daniel. I miss him everyday. All I could think of the whole time I was creating these programs was how funny Jack would find it that his goody-two shoes wife was now the one subverting the 'Man'. He'd get such a kick out of knowing he was going to be a dad again too." Sam commented idly, seemingly unaware of the news that she had just shared.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that last bit?"

On the other side of America, Sam blinked in surprise as she replayed the last part of the conversation over in her head. Realising that she had spilled the beans without even meaning to, she shrugged and repeated,

"He'd be thrilled to know that he's going to be a dad again."

"Oh my god, Sam. This is amazing news. You're going to have a baby? When? How far along are you? Do you know whether it's a boy or a girl yet?" He babbled excitedly.

Sam chuckled at her friend's reaction, his enthusiasm about the pregnancy causing a feeling of warmth to spread through her chest. She'd been alone when she'd found out and completely alone since but hearing her friend's response helped ease the ache that had filled her for so many months.

"Yes, I'm going to have a baby. In about five months. I'm 20 weeks along and no the baby was not willing to share at my last scan." Sam replied, her laughs rippling down the line, "You know it was the funniest thing, the tech was trying everything she could to get the baby to move, she practically had me standing on my head, but that kid is definitely Jack's and it wasn't moving for anything."

"I don't know Sam, seems unfair to say its stubbornness comes from Jack, I remember a fair few examples of it's mom's stubborn nature…"

* * *

Being able to once again communicate regularly with her friends had sparked a fire in Sam that she had feared living in this timeline had put out. Inspired by her successes in creating programs that made the trio practically invisible to government eyes, she now felt free to indulge both in researching and publishing several ideas linked to her work both in theoretical astrophysics and engineering.

However even as she felt herself coming alive once more, Sam still found her mind drifting back to the loss of her husband as well as to the existence of the man wore his face. Her grief over losing her husband had started to subside a little but with the daily reminders in the form of her belly and the kicks and movements coming from within, Sam could not completely forget or forgive the fact that Jack should be there.

In regards to this other Jack, Sam found herself more curious about his life than anything. She felt a small amount of guilt over keeping this child, that to a certain extent also belonged to him, a secret, but the reality that he was not truly the baby's father, kept that feeling to a minimum. After all beyond the genetic connection, he had no real reason to want to know either her or the baby.

Even she had to admit such reasoning was a little hollow though.

Finally about a month before the baby was due, Sam's curiosity overwhelmed her and she began to investigate this timeline's Jack O'Neill.

In regards to his military career, this Jack appeared to be somewhat unremarkable. He had done much of the same early black ops work that her Jack had done but unlike her husband, this Jack had moved into the area of training following the sudden and early death of his wife Sarah. This was also most likely the reason for his only reaching the rank of Colonel instead of moving up the ranks to become a Major-General like her husband. Although a little surprised by this Jack's career she considered how given the chance, her Jack would have made the exact same choices. He'd even joked early on in their relationship that if they ever did have a child, he'd exchange his stars and uniform for a minivan and flowery apron so fast they'd think the Asgard had beamed it all away.

Jack O'Neill's personal life seemed on the surface to be as unremarkable as his military career. He'd been widowed during the first year of his son's life and had so he had embarked upon life as a single parent. It seemed that for a long time he had been content to remain single and focus on raising his child.

It wasn't until Charlie turned ten that Jack's personal life became more interesting and Sam found herself almost nonchalant at seeing her own name suddenly appear linked to Jack's. Like Daniel was fond of saying, no matter the universe, no matter the timeline, O'Neills and Carters seem to find each other. Unfortunately as seemed to happen just as often, tragedy had ripped the pair apart when Samantha Carter was killed in the shuttle accident that Sam had heard about soon after their rescue.

So now Jack O'Neill was once again single and after a quick glance at the calendar, Sam knew that he was also about to send his son off to University. She wondered if that should mean something.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're in this ridiculously wet city?" Jack grumbled shaking the rain off of his now sodden jacket and glaring at his almost adult son.

"Oh come on Dad, this trip was your idea, remember?" Charlie retorted cheerfully, dropping his own jacket onto the nearby table before a glare from his father caused him to grab it and head into the bathroom where he could hang it over the bathtub. "Don't tell me you're regretting your choice to tour the pacific coast just because of a little bad weather."

"Bad weather my…" Jack muttered. "I tell you if it wasn't for the Boeing factory and Flight museum, I wouldn't have even considering coming to such a miserable place."

"Well anyway," Charlie continued, ignoring his father's grumbling. "Boeing factory tomorrow, but for now feed me father dearest!"

Jack rolled his eyes at his son's demand, but had to admit to a similar rumbling in his stomach now that he thought about it.

"How bout that steak place we saw on the way in?" He offered after a moment's thought.

"Sounds good."

* * *

Sam was starting to regret her impulsive decision to come shopping. Her back was aching and she was already soaked to the skin from the 'gentle downpour' the ever-cheerful weather reporter had promised. Deciding against doing any substantial shopping, Sam instead rapidly grabbed a few necessities and then headed to the till to pay.

As she was heading out the door towards her car, Sam was vaguely aware of the two men who had followed her out of the store, but her attention was torn from them completely when a sharp pain spread across her abdomen, causing her to drop her bag and bend over in pain.

"Ma'am? Ma'am are you alright?" A gentle voice asked, "Come on our truck's over here, don't worry Dad's grabbing your shopping." Shaking a little but thankfully feeling the pain beginning to subside, Sam allowed herself to be led over to a nearby truck.

"Ok I think I got it all," A familiar voice called, "Hey Charlie, did you get her…name…" The voice stumbled to a halt and shocked blue eyes met brown. "S-sa…I mean Colonel Carter…" He began before noticing her pregnant form. "Are you alright? Is it the baby? Do you need us to call someone?" He asked trying to settle back into his command tone, although her state clearly made him more than a little nervous.

"I think so. It just took me by sur.. … Oh…" She trailed off and reaching down, she felt her trousers become wet.

"Oh-kay I may not know much, but I know that that's a sign that we need to get you to the hospital. Charlie. Charlie!" Jack snapped, dragging his son's stunned gaze back to look at him. "Get in the truck. We need to get her to a hospital now."

* * *

By the time the trio arrived at the nearby hospital, it was clear that Sam was in labour, with her contractions now occurring more regularly and with greater strength. Helping her into the Emergency room, Jack quickly found a wheelchair for her sit down in and then headed towards the desk.

Having gained the attention of a helpful nurse, Jack was moving to leave when suddenly he felt a hand latch onto his sleeve.

"Please don't leave," Sam begged, "I can't do this alone, please, stay."

Jack knew it was probably a mistake, but seeing her fear, he nodded briefly, threw his keys towards his son, and with a gentle order that he head back to the hotel, he turned, took a pale hand in his, and walked away.

* * *

Several hours later, Jack found himself staring down at the elfin features of a tiny baby girl, completely in awe of the child. He had often wished for a daughter but with Sarah's death and then the accident…well fate had other ideas he supposed.

He glanced back at the woman lying asleep on the bed before him. It was hardly surprising that she had fallen asleep so quickly. According to the doctor she must have been in labour since the early hours of the day and once they had arrived at the hospital, her labour had progressed quickly, with the baby being born only two hours after they had arrived.

Staring down at the little girl, Jack remembered what Sam had murmured as she had gazed at her new-born daughter. She had referred to the little one as Grace, and now as he stared at the delicate features, he smiled at the appropriate name for her.

"Welcome to the world, Grace." He offered softly.

"Hey what time is it?" A sleepy voice interrupted and Jack turned to see Sam blinking her eyes, and gazing at them with a tender expression in her face.

"Late. I hope you don't mind, the nurse offered and I couldn't say no." Jack explained gesturing with his eyes at the sleeping baby.

For a moment, Sam seemed confused but then blinking her eyes again and sitting up a little straighter, she replied,

"Of course not, Colonel." She paused. "I appreciate you staying with me through all this."

"You're welcome." Jack replied, standing awkwardly. "I guess you'd like her back," he said suddenly, handing the baby to Sam, who quickly cuddled her close, "I should be getting back to Charlie anyway." He explained and Sam nodded, though her attention was quickly becoming engrossed in her child. Feeling strangely bereft, Jack asked before he even thought about it,

"Maybe I could bring him by tomorrow, check on you both?"

"That would be nice."

* * *

Letting himself into the hotel room, Jack sighed heavily trying not to focus on all the feelings and memories that were threatening to overwhelm him. Seeing her tonight, even in these circumstances, he had struggled not to respond to her as he would have his own Sam. He'd asked to go visit before he could even think about it and now he just hoped that his impulsive decision wouldn't come back to bite him the behind.

Rubbing a hand down his face, he tossed his jacket across the back of a chair, took one last look at his sleeping son before collapsing onto his own bed and falling into a deep sleep.

When Jack next opened his eyes, he was greeted with light streaming through the partially closed curtains and an empty bed where his son should be. Blinking the last vestiges of sleep away, Jack considered his son's absence before shrugging and assuming that he had probably just gone for breakfast. Heaving himself out of bed, cursing his knees as he did so, Jack stumbled towards the bathroom, intent on grabbing a shower before his son returned. Hearing the door slam shut halfway through, Jack smiled and rinsing off quickly, he stepped out, dried himself off and dressed in some clean clothes that he had grabbed on his way into the bathroom.

Towelling his hair dry, Jack smiled as he re-entered the room to see his son placing cups of coffee and white Styrofoam packages on the table.

"Morning Dad, got breakfast, I'll just shift these out of the way and we can eat." Charlie said, moving a few pamphlets that must have fallen out of Jack's pocket when he dumped his coat the night before.

"Thanks kid." Jack responded, as he headed over to grab his watch from his bedside table.

"Er, Dad?"

"Yeah Charlie?" Jack replied, looking up from his watch to see his son staring at a photo that must have also fallen out of his pocket. "Oh yeah, that's Grace, the Colonel's baby. Nurse snapped a photo when I was having a cuddle last night."

"Yeah I figured that, but Dad doesn't she remind you of someone?" Charlie murmured, staring at the photo intently as though trying to figure out a puzzle.

"What you on about Charlie?" Jack asked warily, wondering if he was going to have to explain the nature of Colonel Carter's existence, when as far as Charlie was concerned Sam Carter was dead.

"I don't know, she just looks familiar, I can't place it." He sighed and placed the photo on top of the pamphlets. "Maybe it'll come to me after we've eaten. Oh yeah, here's the change, I didn't have enough so I just grabbed some from your wallet."

"Ok. Can you put it back for me?"

"Sure." Charlie assented, grabbing his Dad's wallet but as he was moving to slip the money inside, he hesitated and then following an unexpected impulse, he reached for the photos that he knew his father kept in there. Smiling at the small snapshots, Charlie flipped through them before reaching one that lay almost at the bottom of the stack. Staring at the photo in shock, Charlie reached once again for the polaroid that he had lain aside earlier.

"Dad, I know why she looked familiar." Charlie muttered as he slid the photos towards his father. "Dad, why does Grace look like me?

* * *

Meanwhile back in her hospital room, Sam Carter was also considering the similarities between her daughter and her husband. She knew that babies tended to look like their fathers, a left over genetic trait designed to stop fathers rejecting children, but as she stared at her new-born daughter, Sam struggled to see anything but Jack in Grace's features. It felt like both a blessing and a curse, but as she stared at her baby, Sam wasn't worried that such negative feelings would continue, already she felt overwhelmed by the love that she had for her child and Sam knew that the fact she looked like Jack would always be a blessing for both mother and daughter.

* * *

"I doubt she really looks like you, Charlie. Babies all tend to look alike at this age," Jack demurred easily, although he was a little confused by his son's comment, having expected his son to notice Grace's similarities to her mother.

"No Dad. Look. That isn't just a vague similarity. Me and that baby, we could be twins." He offered, ignoring his Dad's flinch at his use of bad grammar, instead pushing the photos towards his father again, gesturing at him to look at them properly. Sighing at his son's determination, Jack turned his gaze to the photos, focusing on them more carefully than before. After a moment, Jack blinked and then picking up the photos, he looked, first at one, then the other.

"But…but…" He stuttered, staring at the images in amazement, for his son was correct in his assumption. Grace was an almost exact duplicate of Charlie at the same age. Her features were daintier, but they were essentially identical and Jack found him staring at them, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

For a while, he just sat there, absentmindedly running a delicate finger over Grace's face, his thoughts a jumbled mess. Then all of a sudden, Jack stood up, pictures still in his hand, and with a word to Charlie to behave himself and to not wander to far, he grabbed his keys and headed out of the hotel room.

There was somewhere that he needed to be.

* * *

As he walked along the corridor of the hospital, Jack's thoughts were focussed on what he was going to say to the woman who may have just given birth to his child. His thoughts drifted back to after he had left the Arctic and had been debriefed regarding the discovery of three people on the ice including one very familiar face. The story he had been fed was that this woman was not Samantha Carter but instead her long lost twin who just happened to get lost on an arctic adventure with her two companions. He hadn't bought it for a second but any other options had seemed even less likely so he had instead put it out of his mind. Now however he was left wondering where this woman had come from and how she could have come to be pregnant with his child. Jack shook his head at that errant thought, but as he drew closer to the room he was finding it hard to try and convince himself that Grace wasn't his. Charlie was right, she looked just liked him and there was no way that that was a coincidence. Something was going on and he was determined to get an answer.

As he stepped up to the door however, all thoughts of a confrontation left Jack as he heard the cries of baby as well as the frantic pleading of a woman emanating from within. Instead he knocked on the door, and let himself in. Upon entering he was faced with a frantic looking Sam who was desperately trying to soothe Grace who seemed determined to let the whole world know how angry she currently was with it.

Turning to face the intruder, Sam almost fainted in relief at seeing Jack standing there. Whether it was hers or not, he was here, someone she could trust to help her.

"She won't stop crying. I don't know what to do. I knew I'd be a terrible Mom, look at me one day in and I'm already failing."

"Hey now, you're not failing. Here put her back in her bassinet for a bit." Jack suggested, and after she had done so, he gently took her arm and tugged her towards the window. "Now pick a point and take a deep breath. Trust me." He added seeing her skeptical expression. "Feel better?" He asked after a while and seeing her hesitant nod he continued, "Now try again."

Still feeling a little unsure, Sam nevertheless headed back towards the bassinet and gently took the still crying Grace into her arms. This time though, Grace soon quietened down, and feeling soothed by her mother's embrace, she drifted off to sleep.

"B..bu..ut… how?" Sam asked in amazement.

"Its the same as with adults, sometimes we need to step away and come back. You made sure she was safe and then you took a moment to calm yourself, its amazing what it'll do." Jack explained, smiling reassuringly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The pair sat in silence for a while, Sam happy to simply watch her daughter lie contentedly in her arms, whilst Jack was trying to work out how to bring up the true reason for his visit. Unconsciously, he began to fiddle with the pocket in which he had placed the two photos, the noise soon attracting Sam's attention. Resisting the urge to smile at such an O'Neill action, Sam wondered at what was making the man so uncomfortable, for although she knew that Jack tended to fidget, it was usually limited to when he was either bored or particularly anxious about something.

"You want to tell me what's bothering you so much?" She finally asked, standing to return Grace to her bassinet, before turning to face Jack once more.

Resisting the urge to further fidget with the photos, Jack took a deep breath and placed his hands onto his knees. "You're not my Sam, are you?"

Sam sighed and sat down on the bed, unconsciously reaching out towards Grace as though to reassure herself that her daughter was still there.

"No, and you're not my Jack." The pair once again fell silent, the only noise in the room coming from Grace, as she snuffled gently in sleep.

"I know what you want to really ask me, but if we're honest, we both know the answer and we both know how this will end." She shook her head sadly. "There is no happy ending here."

"But what if there were? You're assuming that there is someone out there determined to keep us apart, that they care enough about either us to interfere somehow."

"There is no us." Sam interrupted sharply.

"There's her though." Jack retorted pointing at Grace. "No matter how she came to be, you can't deny that that's my kid too."

"I won't deny it. My husband and I waited for her for a long time, and now there she is. And you're right, genetically she is your daughter and maybe under different circumstances I would want to try and figure out a way to work this out but right now it doesn't matter. As long as I'm alive I will be viewed as a threat, and in fairness maybe I am, but that doesn't matter right now." Sam added dismissively, flicking her hand, "The only reason I've been left alone so much is they probably figured that a pregnant woman couldn't be much of a threat."

"I'm not a threat though. Hell, I'm barely even acknowledged as an active member of the air force anymore." Jack countered.

"That's bull and you know it, Jack. You might have been able to take a back seat because of Charlie but the reality of it is that there is no way that the air force doesn't know your worth and that's why they let you choose what assignments to take, so that they didn't lose you. That way when they needed you they could call on you." Fighting down her frustration both at the situation and at the feigned ignorance of the man sat across from her, Sam closed her eyes, trying to re-order her thoughts. "Think about it. Put that strategic mind to work." She paused and waited until she was certain that Jack was paying attention to her. "A person, that you've decided is a threat develops a friendship with a Colonel in the air force. A Colonel who coincidentally has a past in special forces as well connections right up into the highest levels of the military. Now without knowing anything else, what is your automatic assumption?"

"That they're trying to gather intel so as to find a way inside." Jack responded automatically, his shoulders falling as he finally accepted the truth of the situation. "I have to take Charlie and leave you both here, don't I?"

"I'm sorry, Jack." Sam murmured, standing and walking over to kneel beside him. "I wish I could have spared you this, I wish that I could do something to make this better." She paused and gently squeezed his hand. "You deserve so much more."

They said no more. Eventually Jack stood to leave but rather than heading towards the door, he moved to stand beside the bassinet. Seeing this, Sam smiled sadly and headed towards the bathroom so as to give father and daughter a moment alone.

Reaching down into the bassinet, Jack gently lifted Grace into his arms, trying to memorise every detail that he could about his daughter's face.

"I'm sorry, Grace. I wish that there were different choices that your Mom and I could make here. I wish that I could take you both home with me and Charlie, that we could be part of your life. If I could I would make sure I was there to help with your night-time feedings or to hug you when you're sad but I guess it just wasn't meant to be." He hesitated, fighting back tears as he gently traced a finger across her pale brow. "I want you to know one thing Gracie. I may not have known that you were on your way or have known you for very long but I love you so much. I will always love you."

Then placing a gentle kiss on her brow, Jack settled her back into her bassinet and without another word, he walked out of the hospital.

* * *

When Charlie asked him about it later, Jack told him that it was sorted, to trust him and to please not ask him about it again. And if Charlie noticed his father's despondent attitude or the envelopes that began arriving on a semi-regular basis and which he never saw his father opening, he didn't mention it.

* * *

"Spaceships in the sky and I bet ya it's Jehovah's Witnesses knocking at the door." Jack muttered irritably as he went to open the front door. "No, we don't want…any…" He trailed off as brown eyes met blue and he recognised Sam Carter standing on his doorstep, a small baby carrier set beside her as well as several bags. "Sam?"

"Yeah. Can we come in?" She asked, gesturing towards the baby carrier.

"Of course, of course, come in." Jack replied and as he reached down to pick up the carrier, Sam grabbed the bags. Re-entering the hallway, he quickly span the carrier around and smiled down at his daughter.

As the pair entered the living room, Jack nodded towards the carrier and receiving a warm smile in return, he placed the carrier down, quickly undid the straps and lifted Grace out, marvelling at how big the child seemed to have gotten in the three months since he had seen her. Sure he'd had pictures but as was always the case, it wasn't the same.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I need you to take Grace. Take her, get Charlie and get as far away from here as you can." Sam said simply.

"What?" Jack asked in shock.

"I mean it, what's happening now, out there, it's bad and I have no idea how its going to end but what I do know is that no matter what, you'll protect our daughter, so that's what I'm asking you to do. Please, take her, get your son and just get out of here. Go to your cabin or if not there, some place like it. Just get away from the big cities, now."

"I still don't understand."

"You will." Sam muttered. She then reached out her arms for Grace and upon receiving her, cuddled her daughter close, murmuring quietly in her ear. "Mommy loves you more then anything, but you're going to be staying with Daddy and your big brother Charlie for a little bit. They love you just as much as I do so you're going to have such a good time staying with them. I love you, baby girl."

Placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, and fighting back tears, Sam returned Grace to her carrier, before gesturing for Jack to follow her into the corridor. "Everything she needs is in these bags, I bought as much formula as I could, but you might want to buy more just in case. There's diapers, clothes and her toys in there as well."

"Ok." Jack said, trying but failing to think of anything else he could say.

Sam looked like she was going to say something else, but suddenly her phone bleeped and blinking slowly, she reached into her pocket and glanced at the message that flashed across it. For a moment, she looked torn, but as another message flashed across the screen, she straightened her shoulders and moved towards the door.

"I'll be back." Her unspoken, if I can, hung heavily in the air, and expecting her to leave without another word, Jack was surprised to hear her whisper, "I left a photo," before she stepped through the door and then with a determined stride, she walked away.

* * *

Epilogue

Driving down the rough road that led to his cabin, Jack smiled as he listened to the chatter emanating from the back seat of his truck. It was a sound that he had never expected to hear and as he glanced into the rear view mirror, he smiled at the sight that met his eyes.

"We'll be there in a few." He offered, as the truck turned into the end of his driveway, the peace that he always felt at the cabin already beginning to fill him. The world could be ending but at his cabin, Jack felt so isolated and safe it was almost like they were on another planet.

Pulling up the house, Jack quickly jumped out and stretched before turning to open the back door, clicking the belt latch and lifting the baby carrier out.

"Welcome to heaven, Grace." Jack said, turning the carrier so that his daughter could get the full effect of the view.

"Really, Jack? Heaven?" A voice commented laughingly.

"Hey, are you trying to deny that this isn't one of the most amazing places in the whole universe?" Jack accused.

Colonel Samantha Carter stepped closer to her husband, Major General Jack O'Neill, briefly glancing down at their daughter, who rather than being overwhelmed by the sight was instead fast asleep, before wrapping her arms loosely around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"No, Jack you're right, this place is perfect."

* * *

 

 


End file.
